Sound the Bugle Now
by FatesMistake
Summary: Dual-songfic. Using lyrics from my two favorite songs on Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron, this is a two-shot. There's nothing explicitly slashy, but there's guyxguy kissing. No likey? Don't read it. You can manage that, can't you?
1. Sound the Bugle Now

A/N: Well, this wasn't my first try at writing this story. The first one had Harry singing the song while he led the soldiers to the Final Battle, but...I didn't like it as much. I might post it, though, if this gets more than one or two reviews, just to see what people think of the difference.

Don't own nothing. Not the songs, not the characters, not the background. Heck, I don't even own this computer.

~*~*~SSHP~*~*~

Harry knew…no one would say anything, no one seemed to notice, but Harry knew and he had definitely noticed.

Severus was missing, and the war was getting closer to Hogwarts.

They all thought the man was a traitor. That he'd only been a spy until he knew which side would win. Harry knew better. The man had trained him, and spoken with him. No one knew that, though. No one knew that "The Dungeon Bat" had rescued Harry from his relatives each night in the Summer before 7th year. Harry couldn't tell them, but he'd entrusted Snape with the knowledge of his life story…a desperate attempt to get the man to see something besides his father. It had started with a letter, and Harry had used a new owl to hide the correspondence. They'd written nightly for weeks, but Harry had stopped for a few days, too weak to rise from his bed after his Uncle's most recent beating. That's when Snape had started to secret Harry away to his home, training him during the night and making sure he was well fed before returning him to his relatives the next morning. Harry had an ally, one who wasn't afraid of Dumbledore's demands that Harry be left at his relatives until his 17th birthday, and he'd leaned heavily on that. Severus…Harry would take care of him, too. After his birthday, for the month he was to stay at Grimmauld, Snape would come to him after every meeting. They compared notes, Harry using his vastly improved skills in Occlumency to watch the meetings without being detected, but block out the pain and Voldemort from his mind. Dumbledore never asked why Snape's reports were more detailed, or why his wounds were healed after the meetings. They were pawns, soldiers, and now Harry knew for sure.

Snape had promised that he'd be at the school, but he wasn't, and no one knew, or cared, where he was. And Harry's friends, the school…even the teachers, with the exception of McGonagall and Remus…they weren't acting normal. Everyone had taken to treating him different, insisting that he spend every spare moment training or researching a way to defeat Voldemort. McGonagall and Remus tried to support him, letting him talk, but it was rare because, unlike the Potions Master, they were afraid of Albus. So yeah, Harry knew that he was only a soldier now, and not even Snape could negate it anymore because he was _gone_.

No one would address the missing man, not even when asked directly. Even McGonagall and Remus had taken to shrugging and looking away with guilt and sadness in their eyes. He'd been found out, Harry supposed. His mentor, his friend, was either in hiding or dead, and no one but Harry cared. He hadn't even told him how he felt, planning to wait until the war was over or he'd graduated, whichever came first. Now all he had left was a broken heart, and a million people depending on him to win a war without a friend in the world.

_Sound the bugle now... play it just for me  
>As the seasons change... remember how I used to be<br>Now I can't go on...I can't even start  
>I've got nothing left... just an empty heart.<br>_

He began ignoring the pleas for him to train, and study, and research. He locked himself behind the walls in his mind and searched for the connection to Severus, the path between minds they'd opened so they could be there for the other at all costs, so they could communicate when no other form of communication was available. The connection had been shut, though, and left a gaping wound as if something vital were missing. He gave up fighting. He had to know that Severus was okay, that he could tell the man he trusted above all others exactly how he felt, and the fight was not important without him there. As he searched within his walls, the world saw a soldier in a coma from the stress.

_I'm a soldier... wounded so I must give up the fight  
>There's nothing more for me... lead me away<br>Or leave me lying here_

Harry didn't care. The world was nothing without Severus. There were a dozen paths in his mind, connections to people he loved, but they were dark and didn't lead anywhere, because no one cared enough to open up to him. No one wanted the Boy Savior to forge connections, afraid they'd be taken down to lure him out. Severus' path had been the light in the darkness of his mind, but the road to his mind was now the darkest of them all. Harry feared there was nothing at the other end anymore, and he worried he would stumble and fall without Severus there to carry him through the dark.

_Sound the bugle now... tell them I don't care  
>There's not a road I know that leads to anywhere<br>Without a light, I fear that I will stumble in the dark  
>Lay right down and decide to not go on<br>_

Harry drew himself from his mind, but he still withdrew from any attempt to get him to focus on the war. He still felt broken, without Severus' sarcasm in his mind to keep him smiling and forcing him to go on. He'd taken to sitting on top of the Astronomy Tower, staring past the battlements at the world. It was empty without Severus in it, and he couldn't force himself to remember how he'd ever gotten on without the man. He was up there, sitting in the cold air as the sunset, when hope began to shine anew in the form of a raven animagus and a gruff, angry voice. The battle was starting down below, and Harry was supposed to be preparing for the final confrontation, and the voice he knew and loved gave him the hard shove he needed to do his duty.

_Then from on high, somewhere in the distance _

_There's a voice that calls,  
>"Remember who you are... if you lose yourself,<br>Your courage soon will follow,  
>So be strong tonight... remember who you are"<br>_

Harry walked down the steps of Hogwarts, wand and sword drawn as he stood before his enemy. His body was covered in the Armor of Gryffindor, layered in protective spells he and Severus had woven and created themselves. He had a reason to fight. Severus had been in hiding, and had warded his mind from Harry to keep him away. He was locked away from the world, death his only option if he stepped foot outside his cozy prison before the Dark Lord was dead. So Harry would free him, his love, and give him a life outside of servitude. It didn't matter if he loved him back, either. It never had really, because they would always share a bond, and they both deserved this freedom.

_Yeah, you're a soldier now,  
>Fighting in a battle,<br>To be free once more.  
>Yeah, that's worth fighting for<em>


	2. Always Return

A/N: Well, this chapter is...special. It doesn't fit, not entirely, with the first. It was meant to be a one-shot all it's own, but it follows the rules and plot of the first chapter so much that I decided to tie them together. Please, enjoy.

~*~*~SSHP~*~*~

Severus searched the battle ground, passing the wounded and dead as he looked for the tell-tale messy black hair. The entire Light side had survived, so far as he'd seen, though some were severely wounded. He vaguely catalogued the wounds of the people he passed, listing the potions he would need to make or make more of.

"Professor Snape!" Someone called frantically from his left. He turned and saw Granger bent over the prone form of Harry Potter and broke into a run. He rushed over and fell to his knees, checking immediately for a pulse. Finding one, he breathed a sigh of relief and checked eye dilation and other signs of responsiveness.

"He's in a coma…he drained his magic sealing the Dark Lords soul in Hell, it would seem. He's locked inside of his mind until he's recovered fully. We can only make him comfortable until he wakes," He told the girl. She nodded, tears in her eyes, and Severus lifted the boy bridal style. He carried him back to the castle, and, knowing how much Harry hated the Hospital Wing, brought the boy to his personal chambers, laying him in his large bed. "Come back soon, Harry."

Harry looked around in the darkness as it morphed into a sunny field of sweet grass, trees bordering the field on all sides. _"Come back soon, Harry…" _The deep voice of the man Harry secretly loved echoed across the plain, carried by the wind. Harry looked around for his love, but saw him nowhere. A small boy sat against a tree nearby, though, and Harry moved to speak with him.

"Hello," He said cheerily.

The boy grinned. "You're not supposed to be here, silly! You have to go home!" He laughed. "You have to tell him you love him, remember?"

Harry furrowed his brow. "I know, but how do I _get_ home? How do I get back to my Severus?" He asked.

The small boy giggled. "Follow a road, any road!" He exclaimed, gesturing around them. Harry looked around and saw dirt roads all around him, leading in every direction.

"But which one should I choose? And how far do I have to go?"

The boy giggled again. "All roads lead home, silly! But if you follow the voice, it will lead you home the quickest," He said.

Harry was about to ask what voice the boy was talking about, when the wind shifted, coming from down the road behind him. Severus' voice was carried on the wind, pleading with Harry to come home. He turned to the road and started to walk down it, but remembered to thank the boy for his help. He turned around, but the boy was gone. "Strange…" He murmured. He turned back to the road and began running against the wind, towards home, Severus' voice urging him on.

_I hear the wind call my name  
>The sound that leads me home<br>It sparks up the fire - a flame that still burns  
>To you I'll always return<br>I know the road is long but where you are is home  
>Wherever you stay - I'll find a way<br>I'll run like a river - I'll follow the sun  
>I'll fly like an eagle - to where I belong<br>I can't stand the distance - I can't dream alone  
>I can't wait to see you - Yes I'm on my way home<br>Now I know it's true  
>My every road leads to you<br>And in the hour of darkness darlin'  
>Your light gets me through<br>You run like a river - you shine like the sun  
>You fly like an eagle<br>You are the one I've seen every sunset  
>And with all that I've learned<br>Oh it's to you - I will always, always return_

Severus settled into the chair beside his bed, gripping Harry's hand in both of his in this rare moment of privacy between them.

"Come on, Harry, open those bright green eyes so I can tell you how much I love you and you can rant and rave about never loving your Greasy Git of a Potions Master…" He said, kissing the knuckles of the calloused and clammy hand. He squeezed his eyes shut against the tears that threatened.

"Is the flaming blue tizzy a requirement? Because I rather think I'd like to kiss you and lament on how much I _do_ _love_ my Greasy Git of a Potions Master, instead," Came the raspy response.

Severus' eyes shot open, meeting the vibrant green of his love. "Harry…" He choked.

The Hero of the Wizarding World grinned. "Hey, Sev…where is everybody?"

"They've been camping out in my rooms for the last several days, barely sleeping and hardly eating for worrying about you. I convinced them all to drink some tea a few hours ago, though. It was…spiked…with a mild sedative, so they're all packed into my guest rooms. It's just the Weasley's, Draco, Miss Granger, the faculty, and your little upstart group of students, though. The headmistress, Minerva, kicked the rest of the Wizarding World out of the castle and off the grounds, saying you'd wake up and address them when you were damn good and ready," He said, moving to sit on the edge of the bed. "I was starting to lose hope that you'd ever find your way home again."

Harry smiled. "I heard you speaking to me, saying my name, and I remembered that I had to get home to you, I had to tell you how much I love you. I had to tell you, even if all I got in return was your typical sneer and sarcasm. I love you, Severus, and I have for a long time now. Thank you, for guiding me home to you. I'm sure you felt pretty crazy, being all sentimental to me while I was unconscious."

Severus brushed Harry's bangs from his forehead. "People do crazy things when they're in love, Harry. And I'm not sentimental, that's a foolish Gryffindor trait. Something I could easily accuse you of, sense you seem to have foolishness in spades, Brat."

Harry grinned and tugged the man closer, fisting his hands in the dark robes. "I'm your brat, Git," He smirked. "And you love my foolishness." He pulled the man into a slow, passionate kiss.

Severus pulled away. "Harry, I don't share…If you want a relationship with me, you'll find I'm incredibly possessive. I'm not a nice person. I'm still the same Greasy Git you've fought with constantly the last 7 years, and I don't plan on changing," He admitted, cupping the boys cheek.

Harry chuckled, leaning into the touch. "I know, Sev, but I also know that you can be sweet, and kind, and terribly romantic when you want to be. I'm probably the only person in the world who could put up with _all_ of your moods. I know you, Severus, and I love you as you are. If you ever changed for anyone, I'd probably admit you to St. Mungo's for fear you'd lost your mind. You should know, though, that once you let me into your life, I'm permanent. I don't plan on going anywhere, not once I have you."

Severus kissed the 17 year old again. "You have me, Brat, now and forever," He whispered.

Loud applause erupted behind them and Severus turned to see his godson and Harry's friends standing in the doorway. "Well, it's about time! We've been watching you two dance around each other for months! I can't believe it took the end of Voldemort and his goons-"

"Not to mention a week long coma-"

"For you two to get your act together!" Fred and George lamented cheerfully.

Ron and Hermione grinned at their friend. "If he hurts you, we'll kill him," Ron promised. Hermione nodded, and Ginny waggled her eyebrows with a dangerous smirk in agreement.

"Harry, love you as I do, if I ever hear you talking about what you and my godfather get up to in the bedroom, I'll sew your mouth shut. And if you hurt him, you'll find out the real reason people don't mess with the Malfoys," Draco said.

They all laughed and Harry sat up, inviting them all to sit on the bed. "Oh, I'm sure we'll both be hurting each other a lot in the future. Our fights are legendary, and I doubt we'll slack on insults just because we're sleeping together," Harry said as his friends crawled onto the bed, laughing at his words.

"Is my bed to be overrun by Gryffindors now?" Severus sighed as Luna and Neville came in and sat down.

"You kind of marry into the family, Uncle Sev. It's unavoidable. You marry one Gryffindor, you marry them all," Draco told him, wrapping his arm around Ginny's waist.

"Don't worry, sir, you'll adjust pretty quick," Neville added. Severus raised an eyebrow at the spine the shy Gryffindor was currently showing. Neville shrugged. "You're dating my brother, fear is not an option. Besides, if you're capable of falling in love, you've got to have a heart buried somewhere in those billowing robes."

Severus sniffed. "I do not…it's in a jar on my desk," His sneer was ruined when Harry pinched his thigh.

"Sev, be nice," The Savior admonished.

Severus huffed, but when Harry began to pout he relented and kissed the pout away. "I suppose it might be nice to have a large extended family… but I refuse to play baby sitter when any of you procreate," He growled. They all laughed and began talking about the future they never thought they'd have, while Severus looked on. Family…the concept was new, and a little frightening if he was honest. But as he watched his young lover interact with his friends, who quickly drew Severus into the conversation when they realized he had no plan to participate, he realized he was happy with the idea.


End file.
